INDIANAPOLIS — Members of the union that represents Transportation Security Administration workers rallied at the airport Wednesday.
They spoke out against the Department of Homeland Security's decision to end the collective bargaining agreement that it says protects 47,000 federal airport workers on the front lines.
"They’re the people in the blue shirts that screen property. People check baggage to make sure there's no prohibited items that get onto an aircraft, like guns, bombs, incendiaries, and it's an extensive process,” said Myles Wagner, the executive vice president of AFGE Local 618.
On Wednesday, a handful of union employees rallied to express their concerns.
“It’s basically a security risk the more we have a turnover rate,” said Kevin Smith, the President for AFGE Local 618.
The fear that coworkers might leave is now very real for Smith and other employees at the rally.
The nationwide call to action comes after the Department of Homeland Security ended the collective bargaining agreement with the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), which represents thousands of Transportation Security Officers — approximately 400 of them are in the Hoosier state.
“The collective bargaining agreement will allow us to protect our officers by bargaining for break-times, schedules, sick leave,” explained Smith.
The local chapter is also worried the move could impact future hiring.
"It could affect our retention rates and in the end, every officer on that checkpoint helps a little bit extra to get people through the screening process," added Wagner. "With this attack to our collective bargaining, the morale is going to go back down."
He also told WRTV the union has helped negotiate pay raises in the past and helps with other protections.
“One of the responsibilities of the agency that you’re injured in is supposed to help either get you back in the position that you were in or help you find another position within the government,” said Renea McCammon.
She’s worked on the front lines as a transportation security officer since 2007 and helped get union representation for local employees in Indianapolis.
Now, she said her future is unclear after she got hurt on the job last year.
“Without that representation, I mean, what’s going to happen? There’s a hiring freeze. People are being fired. There would be no place for me to go,” she told WRTV.
The Department of Homeland Security said in a statement:
“Thanks to Secretary Noem’s action, Transportation Security Officers will no longer lose their hard-earned dollars to a union that does not represent them. The Trump Administration is committed to returning to merit-based hiring and firing policies.
This action will ensure Americans will have a more effective and modernized workforces across the nation’s transportation networks. TSA is renewing its commitment to providing a quick and secure travel process for Americans.”
Workers who rallied Wednesday said the move is not to simply protect themselves but the public, too.
“There could definitely be some longer wait times because we could have a lot of inexperienced officers,” said Smith.
The union told WRTV the agreement was supposed to be a seven-year binding contract.
They filed a lawsuit to block the move which they said is illegal and violates the constitutional rights of federal employees.
They’re also calling on Congress to take action to reverse the move and afford TSO frontline federal workers the same protections under Title 5 of the U.S. Code.
